co
11
of
a
Vel
cle
You have three systems that make your vehicle go where
you
want it to go. They are the brakes, the steering and
the accelerator. All three systems have to do their work
at the places where
the
tires meet the road.
Sometimes.
as
when you‘re driving on snow or ice, it’s
easy to
ask
more
of
those control systems than the tires
and road can provide. That means you can lose control
of
your
vehicle.
ma
Braking action involves
perception time
and
reaction time.
First, you have to decide to push on the brake pedal.
That’s
perception time.
Then you have to bring up
your
foot and do
it.
That’s
rruction time.
Average
reclction tirnr
is about
34
of
a second.
But
that‘s
only
an average.
It
might be less with one driver
and as long
as
two or three seconds or more with
another. Age, physical condition, alertness, coordination
and eyesight all play
a part. So do alcohol, drugs and
frustration.
But
even in 3/4
of
a second, a vehicle
moving at
60
mph
(100
km/h) travels
66
feet
(20
m).
That could be
a
lot
of
distance
in
an emergency,
so
keeping enough space between your vehicle and others
is
important.
And, of course, actual stopping distances vary greatly
with
the surface
of
the road (whether
it’s
pavement
or
gravel); the condition
of
the road (wet, dry, icy); tire
tread; and the condition of your brakes.
4-5
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